Shoe machines



June 4, 1963 Filed Jan. 11, 1960 y In? Inventor (fa/m RPope B his/1ftor'ney United States Patent 3,091,785 SHOE MACHINES John Rose Pope,Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,Boston, Mass., at corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 11, 1960, Ser.No. 1,773 4 Claims. (CI. 12-12) This invention relates to shoe machinesand particularly to improved operating instrumentalities for suchmachines. Although herein illustrated, by way of example only, asembodied in a wiper for a toe lasting machine, it will be understoodthat the invention is not so limited in its utility but rather isequally well adapted for embodiment in other operating instrumentalitieshaving generally similar functions.

In the manufacture of shoes, various heated operating instrumentalitiesare utilized which, during the course of their operation on a shoe, maycome into engagement with portions of the upper which will be exposed inthe finished shoe. In order to avoid marking or otherwise damaging suchexposed portions of the upper great care must be taken and thetemperature of the heated operating instrumentalities may have to bekept at such a low point as to limit considerably the effectiveness ofthe operating instrumentalities when acting on other portions of theupper.

For example, in the cement-lasting of shoes it is desirable, in order toobtain (a) rapid setting of adhesive between the overlasted margin ofthe upper and the shoe bottom member and (b) a well flattened lastingmargin, to employ heated wipers as operative instrumentalities in thelasting machine employed. However, if the wipers are to perform aheightwise wiping action on the upper as well as an overwiping action,the heated edge portions of the wipers will usually first engage theupper at a level which will, in the finished shoe, be above the featherline, and will then move heightwise of the shoe to their overwipinglevel. It will be appreciated that, if the wipers are sufliciently hoteffectively to iron the lasting margin during the overwiping operationand to accelerate the setting of the adhesive as above referred to, thehot edge portions of the wipers are likely to mark and often glaze theupper during the upwiping operation. This eifect is likely to be moremarked if, as is often the case, a retarder or similar upper controllingmeans is employed to spread the upper outwardly over the wipers and topress portions of the upper thereagainst during the upwiping operationto augment the tensioning action of the wipers on the upper as it isthereby pulled down to the last.

In view of the above considerations an object of the invention is toprovide a novel operative instrumentality, suitable for use in themanufacture of shoes, which, while being capable of being heatedadequately to perform its desired function, is so constructed as to beunlikely to damage shoe parts engaged thereby during the course of itsoperation.

With the above object particularly in view the invention is concernedwith providing, in or for use in, machines for operating on shoes (such,for example, as machines for lasting end portions of shoe uppers)plate-like operative instrumentalities adapted, in the course of theiroperation, to engage portions of the uppers of shoes presented to themachines and comprising portions which are formed mainly of metal andshoe upper engaging portions which are for-med of a material having alower thermal conductivity than the metal of which the instrumentalitiesare mainly formed so that, when said instrumentalities are used tooperate in heated condition on shoes, the shoe upper engaging portionsthereof will conduct less heat to the shoe upper than they otherwisewould if they also were made of metal.

By way of exemplification of the invention, but not by Way of limitationthereof, there will now be described, with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, an illustrative form of operative instrumentality, which isarranged to be heated to perform its operative function correctly, thisillustrative form of instrumentality being provided with heat-insulatingportions to protect a workpiece against damage due to contact therewithduring the course of operation of the instrumentality thereon.

The accompanying drawing is a cross-sectional view of a Work-engagingportion of the illustrative form of operative instrumentality.

The illustrative form of instrumentality shown in the drawing anddescribed below is a wiper suitable for use, with a similar wiper ofopposite hand to provide a pair of wipers, in a lasting machine adaptedto perform a toe lasting operation on shoe uppers, for example wheremarginal portions of the uppers are arranged to be secured in lastedrelation to the shoe bottoms by the aid of adhesive. The wiper is ametallic plate-like member of a shape suitable for use in the particulartoe lasting machine employed and, assuming the machine to be one towhich the shoe is presented bottom upwards for the toe lastingoperation, a marginal portion of the upper face and the inner(operative) edge portion of the wiper plate (these portions beingportions which are likely to engage the upper during an early stage ofthe cycle of operations of the machine as hereinafter referred to) areformed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the metal,being provided by a coating of heat insulating material such as vitreousenamel. The coating also extends, preferably, slightly from the edgebeneath the Wiper plate. The coating on the upper face may convenientlybe some /2." wide, while that on the under-face may only extend inwardlyfrom the edge for a distance of some to The thickness of the coatingwill be that required to provide the necessary heat insulation butsuitable thicknesses are considered to lie in the range of from about.002 to about .02. The vitreous enamel coating may be applied by anysuitable method such as brushing or spraying prior to firing in theusual manner.

The illustrative form of wiper plate is arranged to be incorporated in awiper carrier provided with heating means and provides wiping meanspresenting one surface having a heat-insulating portion over which theup per may be outspread, for example, by upper controlling and retardingmeans which may be hand operated or incorporated in the machine, duringan early stage in the cycle of operations while the wiping meansperforms an upwiping operation on the shoe upper, the upper materialthen being protected, to some extent at least, from damage by heatresulting from engagement with the upper surface and inner edge portionof the wiper plate since the shoe upper engaging portions provided bythe vitreous enamel will conduct less heat to the shoe upper than theyotherwise would if they were made of metal. When the wiper plate movesinwards across the edge of the shoe bottom to wipe marginal portions ofthe up er inwardly of that edge, uncoated portions of the lower face ofthe wiper plate will engage the lasting margin and heat may then bereadily transferred to the lasting margin to assist in bedding it downto the shoe bottom and in accelerating the setting of adhesive betweenthe marginal portions of the upper and the shoe bottom member.

The drawing shows in section a portion of one of the illustrative formsof operative instrumentality. In the drawing the main metallic portionis shown in section and is indicated by the reference numeral 10 whilethe upper engaging portions of material of lower thermal conductivityare provided by the coating 12 of vitreous enamel, the enamel extendingover an upper marginal portion of the plate-like member, an inner edgeportion, and, only to a slight extent, on the under face of theplate-like member as liereinbefore referred to.

While in the illustrative forms of instrumentalities above provided bylayers of vitreous enamel applied to the metallic portions it will beappreciated that the portions of lowerheat conductivity could beprovided by suitable material otherwise attached to the metallicportions or let into suitable recesses in those portions.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

*1. An operative instrumentality for use in a shoe machine comprising abody portion formed of metal and a coating of vitreous enamel coveringselected surface areas of the body portion.

2. An operative instrumentality for use in a shoe machine comprising :abody portion with opposite side surfaces formed of metal and shaped toprovide an operating edge of a predetermined contour and a coating ofvitreous enamel covering the operating edge and a part of one of theopposite side surfaces of said body portion.

3. A wiper for use in a lasting machine comprising a body portion formedof metal and a coating of vitreous enamel covering selected surfaceareas of the body portion.

4. A Wiper for use in a lasting machine comprising a body portion withopposite side surfaces formed of metal and shaped to provide anoperating edge of a predetermined contour and a coating of vitreousenamel covering the operating edge and a part of one of the oppositeside surfaces of said body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,666,218 Altvater Jan. 19, 1954 t FOREIGN PATENTS 1,123,894 France Oct.1, 1956

1. AN OPERATIVE INSTRUMENTALITY FOR USE IN A SHOE MACHINE COMPRISING ABODY PORTION FORMED OF METAL AND A COATING OF VITREOUS ENAMEL COVERNGSELECTED SURFACE AREAS OF THE BODY PORTION.